[Magdalen] Car quirks / was Re: Is the Pub closed?

[Lynn Ronkainen]

I have discovered that some newer car innovations are not all they're 
cracked up to be.

Last June my car was totaled and I was fortunate to find, almost 
immediately, a used Honda HR-V for sale, formerly driven by a little old 
lady (probably my age) who had passed away. It is more car than I would have 
ever bought with many bells/whistles and new tech but the price was so right 
I knew it was a good decision.  It is one of those that uses a push button 
to turn on the car, based on the driver having the 'fob device' that 
interacts with the car's electronics to enable that action.

There have been some very unique occurrences so far relating to this set-up, 
not the least of which is the new challenges, in the greater metro Houston 
area  (being less than a day's drive from the Mexican border, where most 
stolen cars head immediately - usually in the dead of night). There are 
devices that can triangulate with your fob, even if it is inside your house, 
allowing a criminal to open and drive the car --- this can also happen in a 
parking lot. I do have a special Faraday key-keeper that protects the fob 
from receiving false activation, but that kind of undermines the handiness 
of having the fob in pocket or purse and just opening the car without having 
to fumble with keys, because if the fob is in the key-keeper the car does 
not respond until the fob is freed from its bondage....  Also recently 
discovered that the fob battery is low (thank goodness a message appeared on 
the dash!) because if the fob does not work you can still use a key hidden 
in the fob, to enter the car, but the key can not start the car. Note to 
self... *always* have batteries at the ready : )   So I love the car but 
there's a bit too much of "The Jetsons" about it that I'm still getting used 
to.

Lynn
--------------------------------------------------
From: "ME Michaud" <michaudme at gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2019 1:00 PM
To: <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Is the Pub closed?

> So I said the Chevy Malibu was a POC, right?
>
> Today I noticed that it was actually shutting off at stop lights.
> (it's alot quieter in St. Augustine than in Jacksonville)
> Then, when the light turned green and I touched the gas,
> it turned on and surged a bit.
> Weird, weird, weird.
> Thought I'd call Hertz later today, but then found this.
> https://youtu.be/1a2ZeiIigig
>
> This car actually has two batteries, one under the hood and one in the
> trunk.
> What a great idea!
> NOT.
> -M